History Main / InvisibleToAdults

* Inverted in the ''HisDarkMaterials'' trilogy; the Specters from Cittàgazze can only be seen once you reach puberty. Unfortunately, as soon as you can see them, ''they'' can see ''you''...

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* Inverted in the ''HisDarkMaterials'' ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'' trilogy; the Specters from Cittàgazze can only be seen once you reach puberty. Unfortunately, as soon as you can see them, ''they'' can see ''you''...

* People with the kinds of brains that make them hypersensitive (Autism spectrum, Asperger's, AD/HD or Highly Sensitive People) often notice things others can't. Imagine being a kid and being fully aware of the blink and buzz of fluorescent lights, or the itchiness of certain kinds of fabric, or that almost inaudible whine from electronics (which itself falls into the range of high-pitched sounds that can usually only be heard by young people), and being driven slowly insane by something no one else, least of all adults, seems to notice. People without hypersensitivity may be able to perceive some of these things, but generally don't ''notice'' them, whereas the hypersensitive have great difficulty ignoring them, or are ''unable'' to ignore them. Some people even have this problem well into adulthood. This is why Irlen filters (the strangely colored "sunglasses") help people with these conditions; they're customized to block out whichever light frequencies disturb that person's brain.

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* People with the kinds of brains that make them hypersensitive (Autism spectrum, Asperger's, AD/HD or Sensory/Auditory Processing Disorder Highly Sensitive People) often notice things others can't. Imagine being a kid and being fully aware of the blink and buzz of fluorescent lights, or the itchiness of certain kinds of fabric, or that almost inaudible whine from electronics (which itself falls into the range of high-pitched sounds that can usually only be heard by young people), and being driven slowly insane by something no one else, least of all adults, seems to notice. People without hypersensitivity may be able to perceive some of these things, but generally don't ''notice'' them, whereas the hypersensitive have great difficulty ignoring them, or are ''unable'' to ignore them. Some people even have this problem well into adulthood. This is why Irlen filters (the strangely colored "sunglasses") help people with these conditions; they're customized to block out whichever light frequencies disturb that person's brain.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1452266899092104700%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.%%[[quoteright:300:[[Webcomic/{{Optipess}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_2015_05_25_638_imaginary_friend.jpg]]]]

There is also the idea, closely related with the concept of the {{Masquerade}}, that all the fantasies one had as a child were in fact real, but people started denying them to be as they grew older. This is usually seen as a natural process that all people are subject to, although [[{{Muggles}} some]] are more seriously affected than others. [[ImaginaryFriend Imaginary Friends]] and Santa Claus are typically presented as this. There is AnAesop about [[GrowingUpSucks losing something important part of yourself]] with losing [[ChildrenAreSpecial your inner child]] in stories that feature this idea. Occasionally you get a rare adult who is exempt from under the effect of this, usually because they have [[ManicPixieDreamGirl kept their childish demeanour and might be viewed as somewhat strange]] by normal society. Another grown-up who is affected by this but is still able to acknowledge the existence of the (to him) unseen world (out of faith or from second-hand experience) is also very common. Some coming of age stories present this as a tragic but inevitable process as the character is fully aware that this is happening to them, gradually losing their memory about how things used to be.

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There is also the idea, closely related with the concept of the {{Masquerade}}, that all the fantasies one had as a child were in fact real, but people started denying them to be as they grew older. This is usually seen as a natural process that all people are subject to, although [[{{Muggles}} some]] are more seriously affected than others. [[ImaginaryFriend Imaginary Friends]] {{Imaginary Friend}}s and Santa Claus are typically presented as this. There is AnAesop about [[GrowingUpSucks losing something important part of yourself]] with losing [[ChildrenAreSpecial your inner child]] in stories that feature this idea. Occasionally you get a rare adult who is exempt from under the effect of this, usually because they have [[ManicPixieDreamGirl kept their childish demeanour and might be viewed as somewhat strange]] by normal society. Another grown-up who is affected by this but is still able to acknowledge the existence of the (to him) unseen world (out of faith or from second-hand experience) is also very common. Some coming of age stories present this as a tragic but inevitable process as the character is fully aware that this is happening to them, gradually losing their memory about how things used to be.

* Zashiki Warashi in ''UruseiYatsura''.* ''SpiritedAway'' might fall under this, although it's difficult to say for certain since the only human adults around are completely oblivious at first and later under a spell.

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* Zashiki Warashi in ''UruseiYatsura''.''Manga/UruseiYatsura''.* ''SpiritedAway'' ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' might fall under this, although it's difficult to say for certain since the only human adults around are completely oblivious at first and later under a spell.

* Animals, children and in one case, an old lady, are the only members of the general public able to notice [[MyLovelyGhostKana Kana]]. Otherwise, only her lover, Daikichi, girl friend, Utako, and to some extent her friend, shopkeeper Goro, are able to interact with her, due to [[ThePowerOfLove their love for her and vice-versa]].

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* ''Manga/MyLovelyGhostKana'': Animals, children and in one case, an old lady, are the only members of the general public able to notice [[MyLovelyGhostKana Kana]].Kana. Otherwise, only her lover, Daikichi, girl friend, Utako, and to some extent her friend, shopkeeper Goro, are able to interact with her, due to [[ThePowerOfLove their love for her and vice-versa]].

[[AC:Fairy Tales]]* A common trope, appearing in [[http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/146/the-yellow-fairy-book/4820/the-witch-in-the-stone-boat/ The Witch in the Stone Boat]], [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/cinderella/stories/birch.html The Wonderful Birch]], and many other tales, is that [[LiminalTime shortly after the heroine gives birth]], the villain [[BalefulPolymorph transforms]], kills, or abducts her, and substitutes her own daughter. No matter how good the illusion, it never fools the baby, who grows fretful.-->''the witch changed her into a reindeer, and smuggled her own daughter into her place as the prince's wife. But now the child grew restless and cried, because it missed its mother's care. They took it to the court, and tried to pacify it in every conceivable way, but its crying never ceased. ''

* Back when Bob Saget hosted the show, AmericasFunniestHomeVideos ran a fake trailer clip sent in by viewers, set up as an ad for a new sitcom, ''I Live With the Ghost of Abraham Lincoln''; the basic premise of this "show" was that [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin an average American family came to live with Abe Lincoln's ghost]] and the kids get into all kinds of wacky adventures with him because one of the twists is "Only kids can see him!"* In ''QuantumLeap'' only children, the insane and animals can see Sam's holographic guide Al, and sometimes even Sam's real self, not the host body he's using in that moment.

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* Back when Bob Saget hosted the show, AmericasFunniestHomeVideos ''Series/AmericasFunniestHomeVideos'' ran a fake trailer clip sent in by viewers, set up as an ad for a new sitcom, ''I Live With the Ghost of Abraham Lincoln''; the basic premise of this "show" was that [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin an average American family came to live with Abe Lincoln's ghost]] and the kids get into all kinds of wacky adventures with him because one of the twists is "Only kids can see him!"* In ''QuantumLeap'' ''Series/QuantumLeap'' only children, the insane and animals can see Sam's holographic guide Al, and sometimes even Sam's real self, not the host body he's using in that moment.

* Gazoo in ''TheFlintstones'' can only really be seen by children, as well as Fred and Barney because they found him (although it's suggested that they have child-like intelligence).

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* Gazoo in ''TheFlintstones'' ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' can only really be seen by children, as well as Fred and Barney because they found him (although it's suggested that they have child-like intelligence).

** Not so true; Adults who had Shugo Charas (Nikaidou and possibly Tsukasa) are able to see them, and Yukari explains the reason she can see them as "Since I knew those things (Shugo Charas) existed, even I could see them".

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** Not so true; true: Adults who had Shugo Charas (Nikaidou and possibly Tsukasa) are able to see them, and Yukari explains the reason she can see them as "Since I knew those things (Shugo Charas) existed, even I could see them".

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